Improvement in button-hole sewing-machines



3 Sheets Sheet 1.

Patented April 8,1873

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AM PHOTU'LITHDSRAPH/C C0. N H USBORNEIE PROCESS 3 sheets She et 2.

G. KALLMEYER.

Button-Hole Sewing-Machines. 137,689.

Patented April 8, 1873.

3 Sheets--She-et3.

G. KALLMEYEB.

Button-Hole Sewing-Machines.

No 137,689, PatentgdApril8,1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV KALLMEYER, or BREMEN, GERMANY.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUTTON-HOLE SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,689, dated April 8,1873; application filed February 25, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,-GUSTAV KALLMEYER, of the free city of Bremen, inGermany, have invented a certain Improvement in Machines for SewingButton-Holes, of which the following is a specification:

My invention embraces certain improvements in the organization andconstruction of lock-stitch sewing-machines, by means of which they aremade capable, at the pleasure of the operator, of working and finishingbutton-holes, with or without gimp, with two threads, forming theordinary lock-stitch, or with three threads, forming a new and peculiarstitch. These improvements are as follows, viz.: First, the device forimparting reciprocating, horizontal, or lateral motions to the plate inwhich the needle-bar slides 5 secondly, the devices for introducing athird thread, so as to -form the peculiar stitch described; and thirdly,the forked griping-jaws, constructed as described, for holding thefabric on both sides of the slit or button-hole, and distending it so astoopen-the slit sufficiently to allow the needle to pass through withouttouching the cloth on either side.

In the accompanying drawings the same parts appearing in diflerentfigures are indicated by like letters of reference.

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly sectional, exhibiting, partly in dottedlines, the principal working parts of the machine. Fig. 2 is a verticalcross-section, exhibiting details of the feed mechanism, 850.; Fig. 3, alongitudinal section and top view of the stitching-plate; Fig. 4, a sideView of the filling-thread carrier or guide; Fig. 5, the same attachedto the shifting (needle-bar) plate, showing lever for impartingreciprocating motion to the guide at a right angle to the motion of theshiftingplate; Fig. 6, a cross-section of the head of the machine,showing presser-bar and needlebar; Fig. 7, a front view of theshifting-plate, showing cam, &o., for imparting lateral motion thereto,and also the rolling cloth-presser and gimpguid'e; Fig. 8, a view of theunder side of the machine, showing main shaft, shuttle-ways, and tensiondevice; Fig. 9, a top view of forked griping-jaws; Fig. 10, a side viewof-the same 5 Fig. 11, a view of the relative positions of theneedle-thread and fillingthread. i i

The pulley A drives the main shaft a, carrying the needle-cam a theshuttle-cam b, and the feed-cams c. The needle-cam gives motion to thebent needle-lever a and the latter terminates in a fork which engages apin on the needle-bar d, andimparts reciprocating vertical motionthereto. The shuttle-cam imparts reciprocating motion to theshuttle-carrier I; through the link I) and lever L The feedcams operateon the feed-lever c, which carries the feeder c by elevating it andthrusting it forward, and the extent of the thrust, and thereby thelength of the stitches, is governed by means of the thumb-screw 0 Fig.2. The needle-thread runs from the spool 01 through the eye or guide 61down between the tension plates d thence upward and through the eye ofthe thread-lever d thence downward and through the eye of the needle.The shuttlethread, in addition to its usual tension derived from theshuttle, is held rigidly against the side of the shuttle-ways by thethread-presser e, operated by the spring 6 Figs. 2 and 8. At the instantwhen it is necessary to unwind from the shuttle the thread required fora new stitch, the thread-presser c is pushed back by the trippin g-toe eon the shuttle'ca-rrier b and the thread is thus released. Thethread-presser 6 is for the especial purpose of holding down theshuttle-thread when, in working buttonholes, the threads are interlockedover the edge of the slit; without it the shuttle-thread would be drawnupward with more or less irregularity, owing to the continued tension ofthe upper or needle thread.

For the purpose of adjusting the machine to work button-holes, theshifting-plate f, in which the needle-bar d slides, is submitted to theaction of the cam f which revolves upon the pin)" affixed to the arm fthe latter being bolted to the head of the machine. To

the cam f 1 is alfixed a ratchet-wheel, g, which is driven by a pawl, 9attached to the rock in g lever 9 the latter deriving its motion throughthe stud g? affixed to the needle-lever. When it is desired thattheneedle-plate shall remain stationary, so that the needle will have onlyits ordinary relation to the shuttle, the

gages with the spring-catch g.

pawl isdisengaged from the ratchet-wheel g, and thus ceases to rotatethe cam f. The

pawl g has an elbow projecting upward, and

provided with the small stud 9 which en- This elbow serves as a leverfor conveniently moving the pawl against or away from the ratchet-wheel,and the spring-catch g maintains it in either position, as required. Theratchet-wheel g has eight teeth, and the cam-groove four equalconvolutions, Fig. 7. Fig. 1 shows the ratchet-wheel in section, the cambeing removed. WVith the movement of one tooth by the pawl 9 thecam-pin, attached to the link h, which moves the needle-bar plate, Fig.7, is forced away from the center of the cam, and the movement of thepawl upon the next tooth brings the link back again. While theneedle-bar d is making its downward movement the cam g is stationary,and the cam does not revolve until the needle in its upward movement hasleft the fabric. The movement of the-cam is effected by the stud 9 whichenters the irregular slot h in the rocking-lever g Lateral motion istransmitted from the cam to the shifting-plate f through the slidinglink h, Fig. 7. The link h has a slotted hole, t', which engages-thestud i affixed to the shifting-plate, and a chock, k, is arranged so asto slide across the slotted hole 1*, and when fully depressed to makeaclose connection between the link h and the stud t. This chock k isslotted on the side toward the stud t, and hence when elevated so as tobring this slot opposite the stud i only one-half of the motion of thelink h is im-.

and accordingly the chock 7c is then fully de pressed.

The presser-bar Z is controlled by the lever l and carries a rollingcloth-presser, l and also a guide, m, for the gimp or cord fed theretofrom the spool m The face of the rolling cloth-presser is recessed, (seeZ in the sectional view of it exhibited in Fig. 7,) for the purposeofmakin g room for the end of the filling-thread guide a, which reachesinto this recess in making one of its motions. The guide m lays the gimpor cord on the fabric, so that it is overstitched by the needle-thread.The gimp may be dispensed with, if desired; and my machine finishes alight button-hole perfectly, whether the gimp be present or not.

My arrangement for introducing a third thread, around which the needlethread is looped in working buttonholes, consists of the adjustableguide nattached to the jointed arm N, which is made to rock upon thestud n in a vertical plane parallel to the motion of the 1 it will beseen that the shifting-plate is slotted transversely at o to admitthestud of, the

latter being shown in cross-section. The guide it receives motion at aright angle from the motion just described by the rocking of the lowerarm a upon the joint a. This motion is effected by the action of therectangular rocking link 19, the upper end of which has a tripping-toe,p which is caught by a projecting lug, 12 on the side of theneedle-lever c in its upward movement,-so as to push out the upper endof the link 19. The link is brought back to its former position by thespring 19 In the downward movement of the needle-lever c the lug p tripsor rocks the tripping-toe p and thus no effect is produced upon the link7). jointed arm N, &c., and Fig. 5 shows its connections and itsposition when thrown forward by the rocking link 19. The filling-threadis supplied from the spool g, from which it passes through the slottedpin g wherein it is subjected to tension by the pressure of the spiralspring g and is fed or guided to the fabric through the eye g in whichthe guide a terminatesr By the compound motions of the arm N the guideit carries the filling-thread back and forth alternately, placing it sothat it is overstitchcd every time the needle passes through the fabric,and holding it away from the button-hole in the opposite directionduring the interlocking of the needle and shuttle threads over'the edgeof the button-hole. By thus alternately reversing the position of .thefilling thread the needle thread is looped or wound around it at everystitch, as shown in Fig. 11, and thus an ornamental bar is formed aroundthe edge of the button hole, and the button-hole stitch is made moresubstantial. The forked gripingjaws B, Figs. 9 and 10, consist of theforked plate r, slotted at r and provided with the pivoted jaws r 1, thelatter connected by the bar r. A lever, s, has an eccentric hub, 8chamfered on one side, so as to act as a wedge when forced under the barr Having placed the fabric under the jaws they are closed down on thecloth-plate by a partial turn of the lever s, and the button-hole iscut. A further turn of the lever s brings the eccentric periphery of thehub against the stud 8 attached to the plate and forces the jaws apartlaterally, and opens the slit in the fabric. The stitching-plate T, Fig.3, has a slotted needle-hole, which is formed in a piece of lead orother soft metal, t, inserted in the plate. i

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a needle movingalternately in parallel vertical planes, substantially as described, anda shuttle "eoving sub stantiallyin a horizontal plane with thethreadguide having the compound motions described, for the purpose ofintroducing a third thread into'the stitch formed by the interlocking ofthe needle and shuttle threads, substantially in the manner described.

2. The combination of the slotted link h and the stud i, with theadjustable chock or wedge Fig. 4 shows the shifting-plate and the widthof the button-hole stitch,-substantia1ly as described.

3. The combination of the stud g on the needle-lever a, with the slottedrocking lever 9 spring-catch g and the adjustable pawl 9 substantiallyas described.

4. The combination of the reciprocating plate f with the jointedthread-carrying arm N, by means of the stud n whereby the jointed 7 armn is swung in a plane parallel to the plane 6. The pivoted jointedthread-carrying arm N, operated in one direction by the pin a and in-theother by the lever 10, the needle-bar, the toe p and sprin g 19substantially as described.

7. The thread-presser e, constructed as described, and adapted to holdthe shuttlethread against the race-face, for the purpose set forth.

8. The jaws R, provided with the slot r and stud 8 in combination withthe lever s with its eccentric hub 8 whereby the jaws may be laterallydistended while holding the fabric, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

Bremen, January 11, 1873.

GUST. KALLMEYER.

Witnesses:

H. A GACKEMANN, 011s. E. BoRsDoRFF.

